FESTIVAL COMEDY | Mark Thomas
After putting on an opera in his dying father‘s house for last year’s show, Mark Thomas returns to his roots with some mischievous acts of dissent. We put some questions to him and he happily answers them
MINOR STRIKE
How do you top last year’s highly emotional ou top last year’s highly emotional show, Bravo Figaro? vo Figaro? omething different. Every show should be e By doing something different. Every show should be love, and you should always be creatingg a labour of love, and you should always be creating to be proud of. Whether it’s a show something to be proud of. Whether it’s a show ing the wall [on the West Bank] or about walking the wall [on the West Bank] or protest or the manifesto stuff, I’ve the right to protest or the manifesto stuff, I’ve en motivated, because they’re not always been motivated, because they’re not to do. There is a certain amount of easy shows to do. There is a certain amount of nd jeopardy involved, and you can’t planning and jeopardy involved, and you can’t and say, ‘Thank you very much for just go in and say, ‘Thank you very much for e to witness your exploitation, I shall allowing me to witness your exploitation, I shall ay and proi t from it.’ now go away and proi t from it.’ of Minor Dissent doesn’t sound 100 Acts of Minor Dissent doesn’t sound very minor. Is it? r. Is it? rr t lasts a year, and will be The project lasts a year, and will be 13 May 2014. It’s i nished on 13 May 2014. It’s t the very nature really about the very nature rvention. Some of an intervention. Some will be huge; of them will be huge; be small. I read others will be small. I read One Day and it the novel One Day and it so much that angered me so much that out the twist, I printed out the twist, book and left put it in the book and left kshop shelf. it on a bookshop shelf.
to to What are the larger the larger ons? interventions? A lot of bankers are bankers are leave leave threatening . Well, we the country. Well, we g to drive are offering to drive e airport. them to the airport. a fering a We’re offering here are service. There are proposed proposed some o legal changes to legal l make aid that will make people ordinary people There There suffer. oman was a woman who recently who ented was prevented ng the from i lming the n her police when her was was boyfriend arrested being arrested ook the and she took the ourt and police to court and pensation. compensation. got that ike that like People their right would lose their right police nge to police challenge ur. misbehaviour.
44 THE LIST FESTIVAL 1–8 Aug 2013 T FESTIVAL T FESTIVAL 1–8 Aug 2013
So, you’re going around photographing the So, you’re going around photographing police? police? One police ofi cer every day, and it’s a pain in the arse. One police ofi cer every day, and it’s a pain But every time you do it, you might be But every time you do it, you might be confronting someone who might take exception to th someone who might take exception to that. There is a law under Section 58 of the Terror Act t a law under Section 58 of the Terror Act that says you can’t photograph a police ofi cer if it is to b can’t photograph a police ofi cer if it is to be used as an act of terror. act of terror.
Do you think our civil liberties are slowly being Do you think our civil liberties are slowly eroded bit by bit? eroded bit by bit?
There should be an assumption that you can do things until There should be an assumption that you can do you are stopped. There’s a story about Tony B you are stopped. There’s a story about Tony Benn walking through the Great Hall in Westminster wit through the Great Hall in Westminster with an electric drill and a plaque. There’s a cupboa drill and a plaque. There’s a cupboard there that the Suffragettes hid in so tha the Suffragettes hid in so that they could legally claim their addre legally claim their address to be the Palace of Westminst Palace of Westminster, and Benn wanted to put this wanted to put this plaque up to commemorate the commemorate the fact. When he was asked wh he was asked whether he had permission, he permission, he said, ‘Oh, I always i nd it I always i nd it better not to ask.’ I think th ask.’ I think that’s quite a good attitude to good attitude to have.
stage
some some Now that you’re playing Now that you’r in a comedy c in a comedy club rather than a theatre than a theatre this year, what do you t what do you think of the current stand current stand-up scene? The comedy world is still The comedy w this space o this space of invention where people where people can get up and if you’re and if you’re good you’ll get get time and earn so and earn some money. It’s also a w It’s also a world where huge amoun huge amounts of money are chucked are chucked at stadium advertising b advertising because they haven’t quit haven’t quite i lled it and they can’t they can’t have their act going out going out to perform to 5000 inste 5000 instead of 6000 people. I’ve people. I’ve heckled at the O2 but the O2 but I’ve never played ther played there. Comedy should reall should really be about intimacy and c intimacy and connections.
Mark Thomas: 100 Mark Thom Acts of Min Acts of Minor Dissent, The Stand I The Stand III & IV, 558 7272, 3–25 A 7272, 3–25 Aug (not 12), 7.30pm, £ 12), 7.30pm, £10.
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